This invention relates to upholstered seating units having one-piece removable seat covers and to the seating unit produced thereby. More particularly, the present invention is primarily directed to contemporary seating units, although it has application as well to more traditional seating units.
Contemporary seating units are generally of two types of construction. One is the all foam type construction. One form of such construction is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,034. The other type of construction utilizes an internal rigid frame as shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,899. This invention is especially adapted for the latter type construction but could be adapted for use with the former. While the invention of my U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,899 has been widely used and accepted, there remains a need to provide a means to achieve adjustability so that variations in the upholstery cover's size due to wear or cleaning, etc. can be accommodated, and to do so in an economical manner.
More particularly, it has been an important object of the present invention to provide a contemporary seating unit where a rigid frame can be quickly and easily upholstered and where that upholstery can be quickly and easily replaced by the user when it has become worn, soiled or otherwise unserviceable.
It has been another object of this invention to provide such a chair whereby uniform tension may be applied to the upholstery material so that aesthetically pleasing contours are obtained. It is a further important objective to provide such a method whereby a neat, clean and unwrinkled upholstery surface is provided and is maintained even after a substantial amount of usage. It is still a further objective to provide an easy means to adjust the fit of the upholstery cover so that if the fabric stretches or shrinks during usage the cover can be easily loosened or tightened to accommodate the change and to provide a proper fit.